Toy

ABSTRACT

A toy having: a main body portion, the main body portion defining a receiving area; a member configured to be received within the receiving area; a mechanism for releasably securing the member in the receiving area, wherein the mechanism has a pair of arm members each having a protrusion for releasably engaging a detent on the member.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/710,163 filed Oct. 5, 2012, the contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a toy figure andan apparatus and/or method for launching the toy figure.

Toys or toy figures are desired by children and adults. Toys or toyfigures that can slid, roll, move or otherwise traverse across a playsurface provide an enhanced feature that is further desired by the userwhether they be an adult or child. Still further, a unique feature thatallows the toy or toy figure or combination thereof to move across theplay surface in a distinctive manner may further enhance the user'sexperience.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a toy or toy figure orconfigured to traverse along a play surface as well as a method and/orapparatus for launching the same.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In one embodiment, the invention relates to a toy that has a main bodyportion, the main body portion defining a receiving area; a memberconfigured to be received within the receiving area; a mechanism forreleasably securing the member in the receiving area, wherein themechanism has a pair of arm members each having a protrusion forreleasably engaging a detent on the member.

In another exemplary embodiment, the invention relates to a combinationof a toy and a figure. The toy has a main body portion defining areceiving area; a mechanism for releasably securing the figure in thereceiving area, wherein the mechanism has a pair of arm members eachhaving a protrusion for releasably engaging a detent on the figure andwherein the figure further comprises a weighted bottom portion and apair of members rotatably secured to the action figure so that thefigure can move upon a surface.

In another embodiment, the invention relates to a method for releasablyretaining a figure in a toy. The method includes the steps of: biasing apair of arm members into a first position, wherein each of the pair ofarm members have a protrusion configured to be received within a detentof the figure when it is received within a receiving area of the toy;biasing a plunger into a first position; moving the plunger to a secondposition via actuation of an actuation member, wherein the plungerpushes the figure out of the receiving area when it is in the secondposition; and wherein the figure has a weighted bottom with a pair ofmembers rotatably mounted to the weighted bottom of the figure so thatthe figure can move along a surface when it is pushed out of thereceiving area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toy in a first configuration;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toy of FIG. 1 in a secondconfiguration;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the toy of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are front view of the toy of FIG. 1 in the first andsecond positions; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a component or figure used with the toyof FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a toy 10 is capableof transitioning from a first configuration 12 (see at least FIG. 1 andFIG. 5A) to a second configuration 14 (see at least FIG. 2 and FIG. 5B).In one embodiment, the toy 10 resembles an airplane or other flyingvehicle. However, in other embodiments, the toy 10 may have differentconfigurations.

The toy 10 has a main body portion 16. The main body portion 16 isconfigured to have a receiving area 18. Receiving area 18 is configuredto releasably receive a member 20 in the receiving area. The toy 10includes a mechanism 22 that releasably secures the member 20 in thereceiving area 18.

In one non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the mechanism 22 (illustratedby the dashed lines in the attached figures) includes a pair of armmembers 24 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B). Each arm member 24 is pivotallymounted to the main body portion 16 proximate to receiving area 18 andis configured for movement. The arm members 24 are movable between afirst position (see at least FIG. 5A) in which a portion 26 of each armmember 24 is positioned within receiving area 18 and a second position(see at least FIG. 5B) in which the portion 26 of each arm member 24 isretracted or moved away from receiving area 18 through actuation ofmechanism 22.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, portions 26 are used toretain member 20 within receiving area 18. Portion 26 is a protrusionconfigured to be received within a corresponding detent or recessed area28 (see FIG. 6) located on either side of member 20.

Accordingly, as mechanism 22 is actuated, each arm member 24 moves fromits first position in which protrusions 26 are received within detentsor receiving areas 28 to the second position in which each protrusion isremoved from detents or receiving areas 28. At this point, the member 20is free to be removed or launched from receiving area 18.

The mechanism 22 also includes a plunger 30 that can move between afirst position (see at least FIG. 5A) in which the plunger 30 isretracted from receiving area 18 and a second position (see at leastFIG. 5B) in which the plunger 30 extends into the receiving area 18through actuation of mechanism 22. The plunger is biased into its firstposition by a biasing member, such as spring 32. As the plunger 30 movesfrom the first position to the second position, the plunger 30 contactsmember 20 and forces the member 20 out of receiving area 18.Simultaneously, the arm members 24 are moved from their first positionto their second position. Similar to plunger 30, the arm members 24 arebiased into their first position by biasing members, such as a pair ofsprings 34.

Movement of plunger 30 and the arm members 24 from their respectivefirst positions to their respective second positions is achieved throughmovement of an actuation member 36 that is movably mounted to toy 10.Actuation member 36 is coupled to plunger 30 and the pair of arm members24 via linkage members and/or cam members located within the main bodyportion 16 of toy 10. As illustrated in at least FIGS. 1 and 2,actuation member 36 is capable of movement from a first position(FIG. 1) to a second position (FIG. 2). Actuation member 36 is springbiased into the first position by a spring 38 received within main bodyportion 16.

Accordingly, as actuation member 36 is moved downwardly in the directionof arrow 40 in FIG. 1, plunger 30 moves into receiving area 18 while theprotrusions 26 of the arm members 24 are retracted from area 18 as wellas areas 28 of member 20. The movement of plunger 30 downward causesmember 20 to be forced out of receiving area 18 in the direction ofarrow 42 (see FIG. 2).

In addition, the main body portion 16 has a canopy 44 pivotally mountedthereto and configured for movement between a first position (seeFIG. 1) in which the receiving area 18 and member 20 are covered bycanopy 44 and a second position (see at least FIGS. 2, 4, 5A, 5B) inwhich the canopy 44 is moved upwardly in the direction of arrow 46 asmember 20 is forced out of receiving area 18 via plunger 30.

In accordance with one embodiment, member 20 is configured to resemble afigure or character. Member 20 may be referred to as an action figurealternatively herein. Member 20 has a weighted bottom portion 48 suchthat the member 20 maintains a generally upright configuration whenmember 20 rests upon a surface 50. Member 20 is configured to roll alongsurface 50 via a pair of rotating members 52 secured to member or FIG.20. The rotating members 52 are hemispheres or substantiallyhemispherical and are rotatably mounted to the weighted bottom portion48 of member 20. Accordingly, the rotating members 52 allow member 22roll upon surface 50 when a force is impacted thereon such as, a forceapplied by plunger 30 as the plunger 30 moves from the first position tothe second position.

In addition and since member 20 has a weighted bottom portion 48, whichin one non-limiting configuration has a curved surface, member 20 iscapable of oscillating or wobbling as it travels or rolls along surface50. Thereafter, the weighted bottom portion 48 causes member 20 to restin an upright position.

Afterwards, a user can grasp member 20 and reinsert the member 20 backinto receiving area 18 so that protrusions 28 engage recesses 28 onmember 20. Then, the user can once again launch the member 20 from thereceiving area 18 of the toy 10.

Receiving area 18 is open to surface 50 when the toy 10 is resting uponthe surface 50. As such, the rotating members 52 are already resting onsurface 50 or are in close proximity thereto such that when actuationbutton 36 is depressed, member 20 moves along surface 50.

In accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, member 20 can resemble a character from a story, book, movie,etc. and the toy 10 can be configured to resemble a vehicle related tothe aforementioned story, book, movie, etc. For example and asillustrated in the attached FIGS. the toy 10 resembles a flyingspacecraft and member 20 resembles a character from a movie. Of course,numerous other variations are contemplated to be within the scope ofvarious embodiments of the present invention.

As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do notdenote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used todistinguish one element from another, and the terms “a” and “an” hereindo not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presenceof at least one of the referenced item. In addition, it is noted thatthe terms “bottom” and “top” are used herein, unless otherwise noted,merely for convenience of description, and are not limited to any oneposition or spatial orientation.

The modifier “about” used in connection with a quantity is inclusive ofthe stated value and has the meaning dictated by the context (e.g.,includes the degree of error associated with measurement of theparticular quantity).

In the preceding detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of variousembodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the artwill understand that embodiments of the present invention may bepracticed without these specific details, that the present invention isnot limited to the depicted embodiments, and that the present inventionmay be practiced in a variety of alternative embodiments. Moreover,repeated usage of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarilyrefer to the same embodiment, although it may. Lastly, the terms“comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used in thepresent application, are intended to be synonymous unless otherwiseindicated.

1. A toy, comprising: a main body portion having a receiving area; amember configured to be received within the receiving area, the memberhaving a first side, a second side, a first detent on the first side,and a second detent on the second side; and a mechanism that releasablysecures the member in the receiving area, wherein the mechanism has apair of arm members, each arm member having a protrusion for releasablyengaging one of the detents on the member.
 2. The toy as recited inclaim 1, wherein the member is a figure having a weighted bottom with apair of hemispherical portions rotatably mounted to the weighted bottom.3. The toy as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving area is locatedat a forward end of the main body portion, and the receiving area isopen to the forward end and a bottom of the main body portion.
 4. Thetoy as recited in claim 3, wherein the arm members are spring biasedinto first positions in which its protrusion is located within thereceiving area.
 5. The toy as recited in claim 4, wherein the mechanismincludes a plunger that moves between a first position and a secondposition, the plunger pushing the member out of the receiving area whenthe plunger is in its second position.
 6. The toy as in claim 5, whereinthe mechanism includes an actuation member movably mounted to the mainbody portion, the actuation member being coupled to the arm members andthe plunger such that movement of the actuation member in a firstdirection causes the arm members to move from their first positions totheir second positions and cause the plunger to move from its firstposition to its second position.
 7. The toy as recited in claim 6,wherein the main body portion includes a canopy pivotally mountedthereto, and the canopy is configured to cover the receiving area whenthe member is received therein.
 8. The toy as recited in claim 1,wherein the mechanism further comprises a plunger configured to movebetween a first position and a second position, wherein the plungerpushes the member out of the receiving area when the plunger is in thesecond position.
 9. The toy as recited in claim 1, wherein the mechanismfurther comprises an actuation member movably mounted to the main bodyportion, the actuation member being coupled to the pair of arm memberssuch that movement of the actuation member in a first direction willcause the pair of arm members to move from the first position to thesecond position.
 10. The toy as recited in claim 1, wherein the mainbody portion further comprises a canopy pivotally mounted thereto,wherein the canopy is configured to cover the receiving area when themember is received therein.
 11. The toy as recited in claim 1, whereinthe pair of arm members are spring biased into the first position. 12.The toy as recited in claim 11, wherein the mechanism further comprisesa plunger configured for movement between a first position and a secondposition, wherein the plunger is spring biased into the first positionand the plunger moves the member out of the receiving area when it is inthe second position.
 13. The toy as recited in claim 12, wherein themember is a figure having a weighted bottom with a pair of hemisphericalportions rotatably mounted to the weighted bottom, wherein the pair ofmembers are configured to allow the figure to move upon a surface andeach of the pair of members further comprise the detent configured forreleasably engaging the protrusion.
 14. The toy as in claim 13, whereinthe receiving area is located at a forward end of the main body portionand the receiving area is open to the forward end and a bottom of themain body portion.
 15. The toy as in claim 1, wherein the member is afigure having a weighted bottom with a pair of curved members rotatablymounted to the weighted bottom, wherein the pair of members areconfigured to allow the figure to move upon a surface and each of thepair of members further comprise the detent configured for releasablyengaging the protrusion.
 16. In combination, a toy and a figureconfigured for use with the toy, the toy comprising: a main body portiondefining a receiving area; a mechanism for releasably securing thefigure in the receiving area with a pair of arm members each having aprotrusion for releasably engaging a detent on the figure; a plunger forpushing the figure out of the receiving area; and an actuator for movingthe pair of arm members and the plunger so that the figure can be pushedout of the receiving area; and wherein the figure has a weighted bottomwith a pair of members rotatably mounted to the weighted bottom of thefigure so that the figure can move along a surface when it is pushed outof the receiving area.
 17. The combination as in claim 16, wherein theweighted bottom and the pair of members of the figure are configured tohave a curved surface so that the figure can also wobble upon thesurface.
 18. The combination as in claim 16, wherein the pair of armmembers and the plunger are spring biased into a first position.
 19. Thecombination as in claim 16, wherein the toy further comprises a canopypivotally mounted to the main body portion proximate to the receivingarea.
 20. A method for releasably retaining a figure in a toy,comprising: biasing a pair of arm members into a first position, whereineach of the pair of arm members have a protrusion configured to bereceived within a detent of the figure when it is received within areceiving area of the toy; biasing a plunger into a first position;moving the plunger to a second position via actuation of an actuationmember, wherein the plunger pushes the figure out of the receiving areawhen it is in the second position; and wherein the figure has a weightedbottom with a pair of members rotatably mounted to the weighted bottomof the figure so that the figure can slide upon a surface when it ispushed out of the receiving area.